Refrigeration apparatus



June 3, 1941. s. a BICKLE 2,244,435

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed llay 10. 1939 11v VlgNTOR Patented June 3, i941 rte REFRKGERA'EMDN APPARATUS Samuel E. Bickle, Highland Park, Mich, assignor ,to Borg-Warner (Corporation, Chicago, ElL, a

corporation of lliiinois Application May it, 1939', Serial No. 272, 72

(on; ez-ss) 3 '(Dlaims.

This invention relates to refrigeration appara-=- vide a. novel means for attachinga flexible stack to a refrigerator cabinet.

It is another object of this invention to provide a stack for a refrigerator cabinet which may be installed at the iactory and then folded down flat so as to take little room while the cabinet is being shipped.

It is another object of this "invention to pro vide a stash which may be stamped from a hat sheet of flexible materiel.

It is another object of this invention to pro vlcle a novel reenforclng member around the edge of an otherwise flexible stack for a refrigerator.

Other objects and advantages of this inven tion will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings of which there is one (1) sheet and in which:

Fig. i represents a perspective view of'a rei'rigeratcr cabinet showing my invention installed on the back thereof:

' Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 22 in Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-8 in Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows; s

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. i and looking in the direction of the arrows: and

thereof which supports a partition panel it for separating the machine compartment from the insulation 2B which surrounds the food compartment tank 22. Cross frame members 26 are provided near the bottom of the machine compartment and are supported from the cabinet by means of clips at which my be welded to the side panels of the cabinet. The cross frame members 2 1 support a metallic frame 28 which in turn supports a motor compressor unit 355 by means of the clips 32 and the springs 8%.

Attached to the compressor frame it by any convenient means, such as welding, l" have provided a pair of clips 36 which are arranged to support a condenser generally indicated at it by engagement with the tubes and fins of said condenser. The condenser it may be oi the usual cross finned coil type having cells it; and cross fins 62. I have shown th condenser to be made up of two sections and so provided with four inlet and outlet pipes tit.

Fig. 5 is a view of a corner of my stack, before a it has been folded into shape, and showing how the stack may be cut from a fiat blank of materlal. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated,-

I have shown a refrigerator cabinet, generally indicated at it, and having a back panel it which extends down the back or the cabinet only to the Attached to the back panel it, as by welding, are two angle irons which are arranged in parallel vertical position. These angle irons act as supports for the stack Ell which is fastened to the angle irons by means-oi the metal screws 5! which pass through washers 5t and the stack, and then into threaded holes in the angle irons it.

The stack 58 may be made up oi paper board, imitation leather or some similar light and cheap material and may further be stped from a flat piece of the material and then folded into shape by scoring the panel alone the proper lines as is indicated at B2 in Fig. 5. litre side panels 58 are cut longer at their outside end so that when the panel 5 3 is bent at right angles to the main or back panel 58, the side panel will have an edge extending downwardly from the back panel. The bottom panel it is then bent away from the plane of the back mnel until it meets the edge of the side panels til. I we provided a tab Gil on the bottom panel it which, when bent at right angles to the bottom panel will lie alongside the side panels W. The tabs Eli and the side panels 5 3 are punched, as at it, to provide cooperating holes through which spring clips or fasteners 34 may be inserted. The clips 64 may be so designed that they y be forced through the holes 62 from the outside of the stack and will then spring out on the inside of the stack to hold the parts together without any connection being made on the inside of the staclt c The top of the stack is reentorced by a strip 6B of U-shaped metal which is fastened along the top edge of the stack by crimping its edges into the paper hoard or material of the stack as at 5%. The reenforcing strip 65 is cut away at the top and inside of the corners of the stack so as to make the stack, as a whole, more flexible. Thus, the top and inside of the reenforcing strip stop short at til at each corner of the stack leaving only a strip it along the outside oi the stack for connecting the sections of the reenforcing strip.

The side panels 5d of the stack'are arranged to overlie the end fin on the condenser and to be positioned adjacent the ends of the coils as is indicated at it. It the position of the condenser within the machine compartment is such that the condenser is not flush with the back of the cabinet the side panels may be provided with an extended portion it to pass into the machine compartment and meet the condenser.

From this construction it should be evident that the bottom panel member 5@, when it is bent inwardly and clipped to the side panels at, actsas a reenforcing member and stifiens the entire stack to maintain it in an open position. if the clips 6% are withdrawn and the bottom. panel is folded out of engagement with the side additional panel portion at opposite extremities thereof to each of said inwardly extending panel portions for imparting rigidity to said stack.

2. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having a generally vertically extending wall, said wall being provided in the area.- of the lowerpo'rtion thereof with an opening adapted to communicate with a condenser for allowing the passage therethrough of warm or from said eondenser, means defining in conr-hination with said wall a stack adapted to conduct warm air from said opening vertically, said means comprising a panel assembly including a first rear panel portion spaced from and extending inwardly parallel to said vertical wall, a pair of side panels extending from said rear panel portion to a position adjacent said vertical wall, means for fastening said side panels to said wall said rear panel and side panels being laterally distortaole panels, the entire stack may be folded sideways as Y is indicated-by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

This construction allows the stack tube in stalled at the factory and then shipped, without taking up too much room and thus requiring a larger packing case. The construction also eliminates any possibility of loss of the stack as the parts are firmly joined together.

It is to he understood that I intend this disclosure to be descriptive only and not limiting on my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having an upwardly extending wall, means defining an opening in the vicinity of the lower portion of said wall adapted to communicate with a condenser for allowing passage therethrough of warm air from said condenser, defining in combination with said wall a stak adapted to conduct warm air from said opening vertically, said means comprising a first panel portion spaced from and extending generally in parallel relation to said uply extending well, addi tional panel portions extending from said rear panel portion inwardly to a position adjacent to said vertical wall, means for fastening said additional panel portions to said wail, said panel portions being laterally shiitable to bring said rear panel portion inwardly with respect to said rear wall for reducing the space occupied to facilitate shipping, an additional panel portion arranged to extend item the lower extremity of said rear panel portion at an angle to the horizontal to a position adjacent said'upwardly extending wall and means for attaching said about said fastening means to bring said rear panel inwardly with respectto said rear wall for reducing the space occupied to facilitate shipping, said panel assembly including further a bottom panel portion extending from the lower extremity of said rear panel at an acute angle to the horizontal to a positionadjacent said vertical wall and the means for attaching said bottom panel adjacent the opposite extremities thereof to said respective side panels for imparting rigidity to said stack.

3. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having a generally vertically extending wall, said wall being provided with an opening in the area of the lower portion thereof adapted to communieate with a condenser for allowing the passage therethrough of warm air from said condenser. means in combination with said wall defining a stack assembly adapted to conduct warm .air irorn said opening vertically, said means comprising a unitary piece of panel material in cluding a rear panel portion spaced from and extending generally parallel to smd vertical wall, a pair of side panel portions folded out of the plane of said first panel portion along generally vertical lines and extending from said first panel portion to a position adjacent said vertical wall to deiine with said wall a generally vertical conduit. means for iastening said side panels to said well, said rear panel and said side panel being laterally distortable about said fastening means to bring said rear panel inwardly with respect tosaid rear wall for reducing the space occupied to facilitate shipping, and a bottom panel portion folded out of the plane of said rear ,ior attaching said bottom panel portion to said respective side panel portions tor imparting rigidity to said stack when in installed position.

'- I I; E. BICKLE. 

